Mental Health

Community Health and Counseling Services (CHCS) provides a wide range of community-based mental health services for children, adolescents and adults. Most services are conveniently located throughout the state of Maine.

Our caring staff will conduct assessments with you to determine your needs and strengths and develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your specific those needs and goals you want to achieve.

Will my insurance cover mental health services?

Medicare, Mainecare, and most private insurances will cover mental health services. CHCS staff will work with you or referral sources to set up an appointment.

How do I access services or get more information?

To ask questions or set up an appointment, please call 1-800-924-0366.

Adult Services (18+)

Case Management (CI) and Ryan White Case Management

Community Integration Services (CI), often referred to as case management, promotes your recovery and integration into the community and also sustains the living situation of your choice. You will be matched with a Community Integration Worker (CIW) who will assess your needs and resources in order to help you develop an individual support plan to meet identified goals.

We also provide Ryan White case management for adults residing in Northern Maine.

Behavioral Health Home

Behavioral Health Home is a case management service that supports you holistically in both your mental and physical health. It includes a team of a Community Support Worker, a Nurse Care manager and a peer support specialist to help you meet your identified health goals.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

ACT is a 24/7 intensive psychiatric team serving the Bangor area. ACT is a combination of clinical case management, mental health treatment and rehabilitation services. The team consists of a psychiatric clinician, psychiatric nurse, substance abuse counselor, community support workers, employment specialist, peer specialist, program secretary and a medical secretary.

Homeless Outreach Program

The CHCS Projects for Assistance with Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program provides services to persons who are homeless, have a mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorder and do not have MaineCare insurance. The service includes outreach, short-term case management to youth, adults and families in Penobscot, Piscataquis and Hancock Counties.

Community Rehabilitation Services (CRS)

The CRS program is designed to serve residents who no longer need the intense services of a group home but cannot live independently without daily staff contact. CRS assists residents with the transition from group home living to independent living. CRS provides case management services, daily living skills and skills development services to consumers 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Consumers live in their own apartment and have the daily support of staff to assist them in the daily activities of independent living, including medication assistance and education.

Residential Treatment Facilities (Group Homes)

Everyone has the right to live in the least restrictive environment possible. To support those who need assistance learning how to live more independently, CHCS operates five adult residential treatment facilities. These facilities provide a safe, supportive environment for adults with chronic mental illness.

Children's Services

Targeted Case Management (TCM)

Targeted Case Management Services (TCM), also referred to as case management, consists of a case manager who works with a child and their family for a limited time. The focus of the service is to assist with referrals to other service providers, access and coordinate resources such as transportation, education/vocation, mental health needs and medical care. The service is designed to help secure needed services for child so that he or she can reach their full potential.

Home and Community-Based Services (HCT)

This service is based in the home and community. Services and support are provided to both the child and parent/caregiver in areas of improved communication, better understanding of behaviors and mental health needs, and social skills training which will result in better collaboration and interaction between the parent/caregiver and child. Our goal is to sustain the child in his or her current living situation or, in the case of older youth, another living situation of his or her choice.

Resource Parent Care Team (RPCT)

The Resource Parent Care Team is a CHCS service that helps Foster and Kinship Families enhance their ability to meet the safety and needs of youth in the care and custody of the Department. This is a dedicated service for Foster Families to help them improve their ability to manage challenging youth behaviors. With this service, the percentage of Foster Families who maintain youth placements until permanency occurs will increase.

Stillwater Academy

Stillwater Academy is a private, special-purpose school licensed by the Maine Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services. We provide educational and day treatment services to students between ages 5 and 20, whose success in public school has been impacted by emotional, social, behavioral and developmental challenges. We specialize in serving students with autism, pervasive developmental disorders and other developmental disabilities.

Treatment Foster Care (TFC)

CHCS works with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to link children to therapeutic treatment foster care for children with serious medical, behavioral and/or mental health problems. Children are matched with therapeutic foster parents who work with CHCS staff to provide comprehensive services that include the child’s natural supports whenever possible. The goal of treatment for any child in foster care is permanency through reunification with their birth family or adoption.

A treatment team is built around the needs of each child. The treatment team is made up of caring professionals who, in addition to the foster family, provide services to the child. Education, training and support are available for foster parents. Respite, or planned time off, is provided on a regular basis based on needs of the child and the foster family. Emergency support is available 24 hours a day.

Children’s Outpatient Therapy

CHCS offers professional assessment, counseling, and therapeutic medically necessary services provided to members to improve functioning, address symptoms, relieve excess stress and promote positive orientation and growth that facilitate increased integrated and independent levels of functioning. Children’s outpatient services also offer ways to improve or to stabilize the client’s family environment in order to minimize the necessity for a client’s out-of-home placement, to assist parents, guardians and family members to understand the effects of the child’s disabilities on growth and development, and to assist parents and family members to positively affect the client’s development.

Crisis Mobile and Stabilization Unit Services

Crisis Mobile

Most people experience a crisis at some point in their life. CHCS provides 24-hour crisis service for adults, youth and families in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties. Crisis staff can talk with you over the phone or they can meet with you in a safe place to talk about your current difficulties. Crisis services are available regardless of your ability to pay and you and your family will always be treated with dignity and respect.

Crisis Stabilization Units (CSU)

Crisis workers can make referrals to both adult and child crisis stabilization unit beds. Children are referred to the Sojourn House, a six-bed home in Bangor. Adults are referred to Safe Harbour Crisis Stabilization, an eight-bed facility in Brewer. Both units are operated and staffed by the Crisis Service. In the event that these units are full, we will work with you to find other crisis units within the State of Maine.

Telehealth

Telehealth services are available for certain services for those clients who have MaineCare. Telehealth allows CHCS staff to deliver clinical services at a distance for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment of a client. This service delivery method allows clients to receive services within the comfort and privacy of their own homes.

Therapeutic Treatment Foster Parenting

You can be a part of helping over 1,500 children in state custody by becoming a foster parent. Community Health and Counseling Services (CHCS) is seeking loving and caring families to open their homes to make a difference in a child’s life. Become part of our team and help children heal from the trauma of past abuse and neglect. CHCS provides training, support and compensation designed for our professional treatment foster parents.

CHCS also is seeking families to provide respite services to our full time families. Call now to see how you can become a significant part of a child’s life.

10 Reasons To Become A CHCS Foster Parent

EXPERIENCE – CHCS has been providing quality, family centered foster care services for 70 years.

SUPPORT – Support from our team is only one phone call away – 24/7, 365 days a year!

KNOWLEDGE – Our foster home developers have a combined total of over 100 years experience.

FLEXIBILITY – We know that families are busy – we will work with your schedule.

PARTNERSHIP – We value you as a partner on the team.

PEER SUPPORT – Experience the benefit of friendship and support from other foster families.

PRIDE – Be one of the extraordinary foster families in the large CHCS foster care program.

PROGRAMMING – CHCS offers new and innovative programs for youth at risk and in foster care.

REWARD – Every day you can help a child heal and thrive.

FAMILY – Every youth deserves a safe, nurturing family to help them reach their full potential.

Call the CHCS Foster Home Developer in your area for more information.

In accordance with Federal law and USDA policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited basis apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). UDSA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.